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24 April, 2015

Marxism and The Origin of Life

How Philosophy Aids Science

“What?”, I hear you say, “What could possibly be a Marxist view of such an Event?”

Well, it is the only approach capable of solving that important question. And, the reason that such is the case is because Marxism, from the outset, was, and still is, a Philosophy. It is not only a political stance in the Modern World. It was first devised by Karl Marx, a philosopher, and a follower of the great German idealist philosopher, Frederick Hegel, and everything that he did consequently stemmed from what he and his tutor managed to find out about Reality, and Mankind’s place in attempting to understand it.

It is claimed by many (who do not understand it fully) to be “Scientific Socialism”, but such a description fails because, at present there is no comprehensive and consistent “Marxist Science”. And, such a description never tallys with what people see in the everyday actions of those claiming to be committed Marxists.

It is certainly more correct to call it “Philosophical Socialism”, because truly great gains in Philosophy were its real foundation stones.

And, the most significant step in that direction were taken beginning almost 200 years ago, by, first of all, Hegel, with his truly profound studies into Human Thinking, and , thereafter, by Marx who “Stood the idealist Hegel upon his head, or rather on his feet!”

By the time of Marx’s Communist Manifesto of 1848, the new philosophical stance had already been applied to History and Social Revolutions, and was later comprehensively applied to the overall development of Human Society and its latest phase, Capitalism, in his book, Das Kapital.

But, the most obvious and potentially fruitful alliance, benefiting both, would certainly be with the other strongly materialist discipline, Science.

But, that did not happen!

The reasons were understandable, but also unforgivable. Science at that time (and still to this day) was in the hands of the privileged classes, and they could not stomach Marx’s conclusions about the need for revolutionary change. Occasional exceptions among scientists were too few and too amateurish, philosophically and/or scientifically to divert the enormous momentum of technology-inspired success in Science, and the necessary turn around of that important discipline never happened.

Yet, as with all such necessary revolutions, there always has to occur a major crisis and consequent collapse of the old stability, to initiate major changes, and that finally occurred – too late! For those who could have led such a Revolution were dead or removed from having any influence, within the organisations of the Working Classes internationally.

The turning point should have been in 1927, when Bohr and Heisenberg won the day in turning Physics into a thoroughly idealist discipline with their Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Theory. But crucially, there were absolutely NO scientists who could deliver the telling blows, and demolish the speculative ideas of these so-called scientists.

But, also, and crucially their were NO self-proclaimed Marxists who could do it either. Since the Russian Revolution the development of Marxism itself, more or less, came to a halt.

But, finally, at long last, the situation is beginning to turn around. There are an increasing number of scientists who are turning away from Copenhagen and towards a more holistic approach, which grows ever closer to a real Marxist standpoint philosophically.

They don’t necessarily term their new position Dialectical Materialism, but that is where things are heading.

And within the Working Class movement there are Marxists who know what has to be done, and are beginning to do it.

In the last few years the Theory of Emergences has been described, with the remit of a stance applicable to all disciplines, and the proof of the pudding has been in its eating. The famed Double Slit Experiments have finally been explained physically without any recourse to the Copenhagen position.

And, we are proud to present a collection of contributions to the number one question in Science: It is, of course, the Origin of Life on Earth.

And a series of papers starts with "Ideas on the Origin of Life" in the current SHAPE Journal:

About Me

I am a retired lecturer and full-time writer. As the truth of Science has been my major concern throughout my life, I cannot conceive of teaching it in an uncritical, passive way. It's truth or error is THE question, and its improvement must be my main purpose. Teaching for me is Philosophy, and that means taking a stand on all sorts of issues, not sitting on the fence!